Back-rest for vehicle-seats



(No Model.)

B. C. ALFORD. BACK BEST FOR VEHICLE SEATS. No. 604,284. Patented May 17,1898.

WITNESSES INVENTOH (5515. W A TTOHNE rs.

UNITED STATES PATENT] OFFICE.

EUGENE O. ALFORD, OF PORTLAND, OREGON.

BACK-REST FOR VEHICLE-SEATS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 604,284, dated May 17, 1898.

Application filed December 2,1897. Serial No. 660,497. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EUGENE G. ALFORD, of Portland, in the county of Multnomah and State of Oregon, have invented a new and Improved Back-Rest for Vehicle-Seats, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention is aback-rest of that class in which the rests are mounted yieldingly on the body of the seats, so that the persons riding will be relieved of the unpleasant jar or vibration due to the movement of the vehicle.

This specification is the disclosure of one form of my invention, while the claim defines the actual scope of the invention.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the invention. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front elevation of the back-rest with the upholstery broken away. Fig. 3 is a detail section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2,, the upholstery being in place 5 and Fig. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal section taken through one of the arms of the seat.

The body 5 of the seat has at each side a transverse pin 6 and at each end of the back a transverse pin 7. Swinging on the pins 7 are the respective braces 8, which are attached to the back-rest 9. Swinging on the pins 6 are the respective arms 10, which extend upwardly and thence horizontally and rearwardly and have their horizontal portions formed into cylinders 11. The rear end of each cylinder 11 is closed by a tapering cap 12, and through each cap 12 the horizontal portion of a 'rod' 13 slides. The rods 13 extend upward and are rockably connected to the back-rest 9 through the medium of the boxes 14, secured to the front of the backrest and covered by upholstery, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The forward ends of the rods 13 are provided with nuts 15,'which are adj ustable on the rods and which are engaged by expansive spiral springs 16, confined within the cylinders 11 and pressing on the caps 12.

The normal position of the parts is that shown in Fig. 1. A person seated on the body 5 of the seat and bearing against the rest 9 will place the springs 16 under tension, and as the vehicle moves the shocks due to the vibration of the back-rest will be cushioned or taken up by the springs, thus relieving the rider of the unpleasant jar which has been heretofore experienced. By the action of the springs 16 the parts return to their normal position when relieved of pressure.

. Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- In a rest for vehicle-seats, the combination with the seat, of a back-rest ranging transversely at the rear of the seat, two braces attached to the back-rest and extending downward and pivotally mounted on the seat at the rear portion thereof, two rods pivotally connected with the respective ends of the back-rest and extending forwardly, two cylinders in which the rods are respectively slidable, the cylinders being mounted at their front portions to swing at the respective sides of the seat, and a spring contained in each cylinder and pressing against the rod therein.

. EUGENE O. ALFORD.

\Vitnesses:

HENRY ACKERMAN, H. F. BARTELS. 

